When General Grant Expelled the Jews

In this video from 2012 Jonathan Sarna gives an excellent presentation based on his book about Ulysses S. Grant’s infamous General Orders Number 11, which ordered the expulsion of all Jews from his area of operations. This is perhaps Grant’s worst hour, and an act for which he spent several years atoning.

The video’s description reads, “Jonathan Sarna recounts General Ulysses S. Grant’s order to expel the Jewish population in his commanding territory on December 17, 1862. The order, quickly revoked by President Abraham Lincoln, would trouble Grant in the years following the Civil War and into his 1869 presidential campaign. Mr. Sarna recalls the initial reaction of the approximately 150,000 Jews who then lived in the United States and Grant’s later apology and appointment of several Jews to positions in his administration. Professor Sarna responded to questions from members of the audience at the New-York Historical Society in New York City. This lecture was part of the series ‘The Civil War: 150 Years,’ a program of the New-York Historical Society Bernard and Irene Schwartz Distinguished Speakers Series.”